In the example above, port 1 K1QSY-2 has a bad retry rate.
Averaged over the last 442 information frames (messages with text) the node has had to transmit 236 extra copies of the information frame in order to complete the message.
That has resulted in a 33% figure.
We like to keep the percentage number down to about 9% in an acceptable link.
3% is considered excellent.
The higher the percentage number, the slower the link will seem.
Also important in K1QSY's line is the 2nd to last figure.
The 6 in this column means there are 6 messages waiting to go across this link.
We'd like to see that figure at 0, or nearly 0, meaning little or no traffic waiting.

Further down in the r r result, port 4 really has a problem.
The column before the ! shows 0 nodes sourced. That means the local node, SPHEN, is not hearing the routing table "nodes" broadcast from K7QTH-2.
Note that the percentage rate has been excellent.
My guess in looking at this is that K7QTH-2 suffered a catastrophic failure, like somebody turned off the node entirely.

Your next move to solve K7QTH-2 bad link problem would be to see if K7QTH-2 show on the MHEARD 4 list and how long ago K7QGH-2 was heard.
See also G8BPQ M command.

Looking back at K1QSY-2.
Connect across the link and see what the r r table on the other end shows.

This shows us that the failure is directional.
Either the transmission from SPHEN:KA4QRT-2 is too weak, has bad audio, or maybe MIKEY:K1QSY-2 has an incorrectly set receive volume level?

Even if the r r table shows a good link to one of your neighbors, you should connect across to the neighbor once in a while and see what they show looking back at you.
In our current environment we can't tell the entire story about a link without looking at both ends, though if you have a radio and antenna that can hear both ends, you can do a pretty good analysis just listening to a busy channel.

Required for a good link

20db quieting - the stations must be strong to each other with no buzzing or clicking

transmit modulation just below saturation of the transmitter

transmitted signal must match the bandwidth of the receiver (commercial radio wide vs narrow mode setting can screw this up)

adequate but not over-loud receive level to the modem in the TNC

audio must be relatively flat.
The high tone can actually be a very different volume than the low town, but only if the other characteristics are spectacular

During any packet transmission, the modem tones must be audible at the receive TNC's modem before the important bits of the packet start.
This can be foiled by a slow squelch or too-short TXdelay

Radio should have low audio distortion.
Some radios will distort the data enough that 15% is the best rate we'll get with big packets

Some radios will distort the data enough that 15% is the best rate we'll get with big packets

The way packet radio links over FM behave at the receiver is disconcerting in that the digital link can be on the threshold of failure, yet to the node the link appears to behave perfectly.
Then when they cross the threshold into failure, the link appears to fail completely, only to recover suddenly shortly after.
This can happen on a several‑second cycle; or minutes; or hours; or entire seasons.
To a human brain this is akin to having a great big suspension bridge across a river be there one day, missing completely for a couple of hours the next day, then suddenly re-appear after lunch.
Well, we're talking about radio here.
If this was voice radio, we'd be able to understand signals that were rough to hear but were still useable.
They'd dip into being really rough once in a while.
Being gone suddenly and completely for a short period is just not natural.
So.. when debugging a packet radio link,
falling back to listening to the link with our ears is a good plan.

Steps to debug a link

Verify the routes and port numbers on each side.

With the receiver driving a speaker on one side, have the other transmit a signal.
It should be full quieting.
Repeat with the other direction.

Set up a monitor receiver to listen to both ends at the same time.
The receive signal from the distant station need not be full quieting to the monitor receiver, you just have to be able to hear the entire packets from the other end.

Verify that the TXDELAY leaves an audible lead-in tone from each station to your monitor receiver.
Set the TXDELAY long, just to make sure.

Run BPQterm on each end.

Set the transmit audio on each end such that the audio is not distorted on a receiver at the transmit site.

Do password on each end and set these parameters -- replace # with the port number:
On both ends do frack # 5On the receive end:
retries # 1On the transmit end:
retries # 150What this will do is silence the link for normal traffic, and make the transmit test end generate consistant connect requests every several seconds for minutes.
Note: When you are done, set the retries back to 20 and the frack back to 12.

Send packets from the transmit end, using Linux command tarpn linktest <portnum> .
Alternatively you can connect over the radio to the other end and request stat.
If you are configured for TNC-PI with audio monitoring switches, set the switch to monitor for the one TNC-PI serving the link you are debugging.
Observe the oscilloscope during receive packets and adjust the receive level for 0.8v Peak to Peak coming from the radio.
In the display shown below, that's four squares of 0.2v each.
Notice that for this link two tones are not the same volume so you get different Peak to Peak readings depending on the data.
Anywhere from 0.6v to 1.4v (3 to 7 graticule squares) is adequate I think.
Refer also to Using an Oscilloscope for measuring Rx Audio Level to TNC-PI
If you do not have an oscilloscope, do tarpn linktest <portnum> to send test packets from the transmit end.
Adjust the receive audio level to receive all of the numbered packets.

Or, connect to the other end and request stat. Lacking access to the linktest utility means you'll have to be able to listen to the channel to know when packets come across.
Observe in TARPN-HOME (node tab, monitor checked) and try to arrange that all audible packets are decoded and displayed.

Repeat on the other end

No scope, no receiver method: Observe the BPQterm monitoring the link.
On the other end of the link start a transmit cycle connecting to a non-existant callsign, as above, but now observe the timing of the transmits.
At the receive end watch for packets which do not show on the BPQterm by looking for gaps in the expected traffic.
You should be able to listen to the other end transmit and know if there are any changes in the period between packets.
Fine tune the receiver's volume knob to optimize until no packets are missed.

Repeat in the other direction

Connect to both ends of the link and grab the current numbers from r r for the link you are working on.

Now connect to the far end, connect back, connect out, back, out, back.
Now do a stat command.

Listen to the exchanges and verify that there are no times of dead air until the stat is fully received at your end

Use BPQterm's monitor window to verify that every transmit has a response.
See whose messages are being sent but not being received at the other end.

Observe the INFO-frames sent value vs the INFO-frames-retried value.
Compare against the starting value.
You can use these values from both ends and identify which side is having difficulty sending to the other.

There are still several things that can go wrong, including multi-path distortion.
The clue that there is multipath is that the received signal from the other end of the link sounds distorted, but when listened to at the transmit end, is not distorted.
Multipath can be caused by having a reflection which is as good as the direct path.
It can be exacerbated by badly aimed directional antennas, or a major RF attenuator or hill directly in line between the two sites.
Horizontal directional antennas are a good thing to combat multipath.
If the antennas can't be moved or improved, the best thing to do is to change frequencies or even bands between the sites.

If you do get it to work well, set the TXDELAY down to where it the lead-in is noticeable but not finicky short and not tedious.